Of Tameran and Pandora
by Human Customs Still Elude Me
Summary: After a tiring fight, Starfire took to the roof to stargaze. She just didn't realize that asking Robin about a simple constellation would lead to her knowing a lot more about Earth mythology than she expected. One-shot. Probably worse than it sounds, let the flames burn.


Titans tower stood out imposingly against the dark sky, bits of light shining through parts of the windows, a landmark to everyone in the city beyond.

Inside, the five teens were enjoying themselves after thwarting a particularly difficult bank robbery by Mumbo Jumbo. Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing Super Mega Ninja Monkeys IV(or something like that), Raven was in her room reading, Robin was on patrol(much to the others' chagrin), and Starfire was sitting on the roof looking up at the still unfamiliar constellations, trying to discern the difference between Mars and the star Betelgeuse.

After sitting out on the roof for around fifteen minutes, she heard the door open behind her.

"Hey, Star. As soon as Beast Boy stops gloating over his once-in-a-lifetime victory, we're gonna watch a movie. Wanna come?"

She turned to face Robin. "Friend Robin, you have returned!I trust the criminals have shown no sign of activity?"

The short teen shook his head. "No, they're locked up-for the most part." He glanced up at the star-filled sky for a second, seemingly aware of what Starfire had been doing beforehand. "Need any help with constellations?"

"Perhaps. I am rather confused as to the vague patterns you have shown me on previous occasions...?"

Robin walked forward as to stand beside her. "Well...That one's Ursa Major, that one over there is Krios, named after a mythological Titan..." At this, Starfire turned towards her leader in surprise. "This Krios you speak of, was also a Titan?"

"As in our namesake, yes. A group of...gods from Greek mythology." At Starfire's interested expression, Robin continued. "They predated the Olympian gods. Kronos, the father of most of the twelve Olympians, was a Titan.

Starfire smiled eagerly. "How many of our namesake Titans were there?"

Robin paused, drawing a blank. "Um...well, I'm not so great at mythology, but...a lot. There was Kronos, the leader of the Titans and decendant of Ouranos, the sky, and Gaia, the Earth. He was overthrown by his son, Zeus..."

"That is most terrible!"

"No, no. Kronos was bad. A lot of the Titans were, actually." Before Starfire could respond, Robin continued. "But then there were good ones, too. Like Prometheus. If I remember correctly, the ancient Greeks believed that he was the creator of humanity, and sculpted the first humans of clay.

Starfire looked up at the sky once more. "He did great good for this world, then?"

"Yes. He also brought fire down to humanity from Olympus, despite the fact that he was after chained to a rock to have his liver eaten out by an eagle every day as punishment from Zeus..."

At this, the young alien showed clear alarm. "Please, do any of these former Titans receive the 'happy ending'?"

Robin sat in silence for a moment. "Perseus...Wait, no, he was a demigod." Starfire continued to stare up at the sky.

"Which one's Tameran?"

Robin's question took her by surprise. "Um..." After a moment, she picked out a dim, vaguely blue-tinted star near the horizon. "That is Tameran's sun. Unlike Earth, we are fourth closest, barely within the habitable area."

"Oh. That's why it was cold."

After a minute or two of silence, Starfire spoke up once more.

"Please, are there any more myths of which to tell?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. There's..." After a moment of contemplation, he decided on which myth to tell. "Pandora. The first woman, according to Greek Mythology. She was married to Epithemus, Prometheus's brother, as a gift from the Gods. As a second gift, a little while later, Hermes, messenger of the Gods', was sent to give them-as in Epithemus and Pandora-a jar, and instructed them to never open it. Pandora's curiosity got the better of her, though, and when Epithemus was away, she lifted the lid a small bit, releasing all these little, bee-like creatures. She closed the lid pretty fast, though. But the little bee things were the troubles, or the evils of the world."

Starfire looked from the sky to Robin once more. "That is most terrible!" Robin nodded in agreement before continuing his story.

"But she left one thing in. Not a trouble though. Hope. Hope-or, I think her actual name was Elpis-pleaded with Pandora to be let out until she was. She then flew around the world, undoing the damage that the Troubles had caused. And I think something happens to Pandora, but I'm blanking on what it was."

Starfire stood. "Humans have such a vast amount of stories to tell. It is most wonderful." She smiled, and Robin nodded. "That's not even a measurable fraction of the amount of mythology we have. We've actually lost fair bits of it, even."

The door to the roof opened once more and Beast Boy stuck his head out. "Are you coming or not?"

The two nodded, following the green teenager into the main room of Titans Tower.

* * *

 **Short, sweet, and to the point is how I roll. First Teen Titans fic. I was watching Justice League Unlimited and the idea hit me like a truck. I hope you liked it!  
**

 **Please R &R! Let the flames burn! Constructive criticism is extremely welcome!**


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